At first glance, this could be seen as a negative post. (No negativity allowed here!) But hang in there with me. Also, let me say that this post is clearly my opinion. I am not a doctor or a nurse. I am a teacher. I help people learn and hopefully, improve their life in some way.
With that being said, there are situations that pop up in life. Sometimes you have control over them--sometimes you don't. This leads to the topic at hand--pain medication therapy. Rumor has it-- there is a new law out there for 2012 requiring a patient on pain medication therapy to be seen by the doctor once a month (or a nurse practitioner), an RN nurse will no longer do. It's about time! I searched the information on the internet but really didn't find anything. I would guess the law is to cut down on the abusers of pain medication. Everyone needs to be well informed on this topic. Just because a pain medication is prescribed--doesn't mean the patient won't become addicted to it. A drug addiction is a drug addiction regardless of how someone got in the situation. I think folks believe that as long as the pain medication is prescribed, it is okay. Maybe....maybe not.
It still has the potential to ruin the patient's life. There still may be long-term complications more debilitating than the pain. Please ask the questions. A wise doctor once told me there are no stupid questions. That same doctor told me he was a doctor--not God. Those are two very good points. Doctors do not know everything. They are human just like everyone else. Please ask the questions.
Alcohol is legal. Anyone over 21 can purchase it. So, it's okay to drink it but it doesn't mean it can't cause harm. It doesn't mean someone can't become addicted to it. It happens.
Perhaps it comes down to Quality of life over Quantity of life. Pain is painful. That's why people don't want to feel it. I just think there are choices. Here goes one of my favorite sayings.... I tell it to my girls all the time. The choices may not be good choices but they're all you got! Weigh your options.
Please ask the questions. Make the best educated decision possible. Maybe it will avoid the Shoulda Woulda Coulda moment.
